Our View: Better school buildings improve learning environment

Saturday

Jul 5, 2014 at 6:00 PM

No matter what part of the community you live in, the neighborhood school should be something you’re proud of. The school should be the best-looking building on the block because it shows that the community cares about education.

The Rockford School District’s 10-year facilities plan aims to do that. The focus recently has been on a change to the original plan that calls for eight schools to be closed and two schools to be built, but remember that every school will be improved.

The district’s facilities plan will be presented Tuesday to the School Board. No matter what you think of the plan — and we think it’s a good one — you have to praise the work of the committee that put it together.

There were 39 public meetings, dozens of committee and subcommittee meetings and countless hours put into the plan. Jude Makulec, vice president of the School Board, was the committee chair. Rudy Valdez, Lloyd Johnston, Dennis Bane and Dennis Harezlak were key contributors. Ad hoc members were Lisa DiChiera, Ben Holmstrom and Earl Dotson. The administration was represented by Superintendent Ehren Jarrett and Chief Operating Officer Todd Schmidt.

These committee members put in all that work because they care about Rockford schoolchildren and the environment they need to learn in. They deserve our thanks.

Not every public concern or question could be integrated into the plan, but committee members did listen to the public. For example, West View Elementary was on the close list, but the recommendation now is to keep it open and refurbish it. There were other tweaks as well, inspired by community feedback.

Further evidence of the district’s willingness to listen and commitment to transparency is that it will seek to put a referendum on the November ballot asking voters whether it should build schools.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum in 2012 that allowed the district to issue $139 million in bonds to help finance the facilities plan. That referendum question did not address new schools, although this Editorial Board and many in the community thought news schools should have been part of the plan from the beginning.

District officials think voters should have a say on new schools. It’s a risky move because voters are unpredictable. However, it’s the right move.

Over the last decade voters consistently have shown they care about good schools by approving referendums that affect their pocketbooks. This one won’t. It’s merely a question of whether to build. If voters say no, money will be redirected to existing schools.

Regardless, eight schools will be closed and district officials promise to leave the site of those schools better than they were. If the district can find a willing, credible buyer, it will sell a school. If not, the bulldozers will move in, and the site will be turned into green space, perhaps for use as a park.

The next steps are crucial. It will be interesting to hear what kind of recommendations School Board members who did not serve on the committee have in mind.

After the presentation to the School Board, the task force will host one more informational meeting for the public: 6 p.m. July 22 at the Rockford School District’s administrative offices, 501 Seventh St.

The School Board is expected to vote on the facilities plan and referendum question Aug. 12.

The goal of the facilities plan is to create teaching and learning environments that meet the needs of all students, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that it will save a few dollars as well. Closing eight schools means there will be fewer schools to maintain, and older schools are much more costly to maintain than new schools.

However, the most important issue is to provide children with the best education possible. Clean, efficient buildings make that more likely.